Tompkins Square Park
by CatchMyBreath
Summary: He never wanted to say goodbye; and for this reason he always told himself, if a situation came, it would always be a 'see you later'.
**A/N: Another Salex one shot because the world can never have too much ;)**

 **Tompkins Square Park**

* * *

He never wanted to say goodbye; and for this reason he always told himself, if a situation came, it would always be a 'see you later'. He told himself that everyday since he found out: he'd see her again... Until then, he couldn't lay next to her and watch her wake up in the blissful morning, just to be the cause of her vanishing smiles. So he took out a pen and paper, thought carefully for a long minute while she slept soundly next to him and began to write her a letter.

"Dear Alex," he wrote down with all his heart, "meet me in Tompkins Square Park. I'll be there today at 8 o'clock, under _our_ tree. There's something I need to tell you and I can't tell you like this. I love you babe, I'll see you later - Sean."

By the time she would read this, he'd already be gone. Waiting for her under the trees until the time was right. She woke up to an empty pillow that morning, confusion scrawled across her face in his abundant absence. The letter laid neatly folded by her bedside. Her name signed on the front in his familiar hand. The sight of it seemed calming to her, but perhaps she already knew what it meant.

He sat on a bench in Tompkins Square park, casually watching the scenes around him. He wondered if she could tell what was on his tongue, or had the same thoughts as he did. "This isn't a goodbye" he tells himself over and over again, "just a see you later."

But no flame burns forever and they both knew that. Maybe it would be for the better, if this was a goodbye? Not the last, of course he tried to think again. He never thought love would last, he never expected it to. When he first met her, he thought she was just another figure to pass through his life. But he stood in her way, one moment of contact and he soon realized she was more than something new in his life, she was something better.

It only took a few seconds to for her to have an impression of him. An image of a checkered shirted suited man, dark hair, dark eyes towering over her; he had to reminisce. What did he ever do to deserve someone like her?

He never expected her to love him back, or to take a chance. But her hand slipped into his and never wanted to let go. He took a walk, circled the park countless times before making it back to _their_ spot. Under the tree covered paths of early Spring, he could see her walking in the distance. Her cold breath blowing puffs as she held her jacket closer to her body. He couldn't help but smile.

"Alex..." he called her name in awe like it was the first time he had seen her in a long time.

"Sean? What's all this about?" Alex says walking up to him. She let out a small nervous laugh, "it's so cold out there."

"I know, I'm sorry baby" he replies as he reached for her hands. He rubbed her small palms between his and blew his hot breath against her cold skin. "Better?"

"Haha" she cracked him a smile and reached up to kiss him. "Just tell me why I'm here, silly."

"Take a walk with me?" he asks her.

"Okay" she says.

As they walked through the park, past the basketball courts and early morning visitors playing a friendly game of chess, Sean glanced at his love just to see the look on her unsuspecting face. Or could she already tell what was on his mind? He never could pretend to tell the difference.

"This is silly, Sean" Alex stopped to look at him. "Don't think I'm a fool. I know what's been bothering you."

"You have?" Sean asks, surprised.

"You're scared of me finally meeting your sisters. You think I won't fit in with the rest of your family? You're wrong, Sean Pierce. I'm good at blending in... it's one of the few good things Division taught me that actually comes in handy these days."

Sean cracked her a smile and laughed, "you think this is about meeting my sisters?"

"They must think I'm a flake since the last time you invited me over but had to say I was 'sick' when we all know I was just 'sick' of hearing Ryan go over and over those secret blue files and how they're important to the President, well screw her - you and I both know she's not afraid to-"

"Alex!" Sean cuts her off, "stop." He wrapped his arm around her waste and continued to walk her across the park. "I don't want to talk about work right now."

"Then what do you want to talk about?"

"You. And us..." he looks down at her, "I want to hear more of your stories."

"Right now?" she laughs, "we got plenty of time for that another day. Let's just go home. I'll make you some scrambled eggs and maybe some french toast?"

He stopped walking and took a moment to gaze at her beautiful blue eyes again, wondering if this would be the last time he would see them shine in the light. He had to tell her, if he didn't it would be a lie. "Alex... another day might be awhile." He took a moment to gage her reaction, but she looked like she was putting on a brave face. "I deploy in two weeks."

"Deploy?" she looks at him sadly, "you're going back to the SEALs?" she questioned, even though she already knew the answer.

"I never really left" he pulled her aside and away from other walking pedestrians, "I was on special leave. My term is up." Alex looked away, unable to look him in the eyes and say goodbye. "Hey" he reached for her cheek and gently made her look back at him, "I'm sorry... Alex," he sighed, "I've only ever told you one lie, but this might as well have been a thousand... because of all the times you asked me what was wrong and I knew I was leaving... I couldn't tell you and bare to see that look of despair on your pretty little face."

"When did you find out?" she tried to look away again. "Was it before us?"

"No. Alex, I dedicated my whole life to being a SEAL. I can't just walk away from that, it's who I am."

"I just thought, that since we were together..."

"It's only made this decision that much more harder. Alex, these past few weeks being with you and just being together have been the highlight of my life. I don't want this to be a goodbye."

"Sean, you and I both know this all too well..."

"I know" he frowned, "nothing lasts forever... but we can be the exception, Alex. It doesn't have to end this way." She gave him a small smile and wished that was true. "Come with me."

"I can't... I have a life here in New York."

"Then you should understand, I would never make you give up your life here for me. And I know if this was reversed, you wouldn't ask me to stay."

"But I want to ask you to stay" she says hopeful.

"You know I can't stay, Alex. But I want you to know this isn't a goodbye. We can meet again, right here in Tompkins Square Park. Until then remember, I'll see you later."

* * *

The following 2 weeks before he was set to deploy, Sean and Alex spent every day together. It was perfect and blissful and neither of them would change a thing... except one thing: the fact that he had to leave.

"I really wish you would not cry" Sean tells Alex as she parks their car in front of the airport.

"I'm not crying" she tried to hide it, but Sean could always see right through her. "These are tears of joy... I'm just trying to be happy for you."

"You're such a bad liar, Alex" Sean laughs.

She looked at him and tried to wipe away some of her tears. "I'm only crying because I know I'm going to miss you so much."

"You have no idea how much I am in love with you, Alexandra Udinov" Sean takes her hand in his.

"I know" she smiles back at him.

"No" he shakes his head, "you don't know what you do to me, when you look at me that way. You don't hear how many times I pray that you're safe when we're apart. Every time we kiss you don't know how you steal a piece of my soul. So Alex, no, you don't know how I feel about you. You might think you do, But you don't."

"I do now" she pulls him closer to her in the car and kisses him softly. "I feel exactly the same way" she smirks. "I think we can do this" she pulls away and looks at him with a new ambition in her eyes. "Be can be the exception to every long distance statistic. Just promise me one thing?"

"Anything."

"This isn't a goodbye," she says, "I will see you again."

"I promise. When this is all over, meet me in Tompkins Square Park."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope that wasn't too sad. Please review for more Salex stories! :)**


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